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Comic Picks Of The Week - July 10https://www.buzzfeed.com/theoisjonesing/comic-picks-of-the-week-july-10-bjzk
Picking the best of the best from pull lists and 4-chan boards around the comic-verse.

For a weak week in terms of quantity of releases, a lot of titles that came out this week easily had some of their best issues of the year thus far. I finally care about Superman again, Uncanny X-Men brought back Chris Bachalo for art, Tony Stark died in the Ultimate Universe, and Suicide Squad had one hell of a cliffhanger.

but this is the best of the best. (at least in my mind.)

1. Avengers Arena 012

Avengers Arena has been a series for 12 issues that has showed potential, but never really grabbing the reader and making it a gripping series. for the past 11 issues, I feel like the series has been trying to find a sweet spot, and we have finally hit it.

i may be a bit biased because Dennis Hopeless brought back one of my personal favorite characters from a very sloppy and haphazard death (Nico from Runaways), but it finally feels like Avengers Arena has gotten into a rhythm of a week to week guessing game of death, mystery and quick teenage wit. It finally felt like Kev Walker's amazing pencils finally got the justice they deserved from the writing and plot. I really was just totally enamored with this book this week. It was so much fun, so fulfilling and had a great cliffhanger. for the first time ever, i cannot wait for the next issue of Avengers Arena.

2. Chew 035

]]>https://www.buzzfeed.com/theoisjonesing/comic-picks-of-the-week-july-10-bjzkFri, 12 Jul 2013 01:05:01 -0400Picking the best of the best from pull lists and 4-chan boards around the comic-verse.theoisjonesingadultFor a weak week in terms of quantity of releases, a lot of titles that came out this week easily had some of their best issues of the year thus far. I finally care about Superman again, Uncanny X-Men brought back Chris Bachalo for art, Tony Stark died in the Ultimate Universe, and Suicide Squad had one hell of a cliffhanger.
but this is the best of the best. (at least in my mind.)nonadultnonadultAvengers Arena has been a series for 12 issues that has showed potential, but never really grabbing the reader and making it a gripping series. for the past 11 issues, I feel like the series has been trying to find a sweet spot, and we have finally hit it.
i may be a bit biased because Dennis Hopeless brought back one of my personal favorite characters from a very sloppy and haphazard death (Nico from Runaways), but it finally feels like Avengers Arena has gotten into a rhythm of a week to week guessing game of death, mystery and quick teenage wit. It finally felt like Kev Walker's amazing pencils finally got the justice they deserved from the writing and plot. I really was just totally enamored with this book this week. It was so much fun, so fulfilling and had a great cliffhanger. for the first time ever, i cannot wait for the next issue of Avengers Arena.nonadultnonadultChew is easily a contender for one of the best books of all time. every issue, John Layman &amp; Rob Guillory bring some sort of plot twist, craziness, or introduce an entirely new character/plot device that keeps this book feeling fresh, fun, and still engaging after 35 issues.
with the conclusion of the 'Bad Apples&#39; storyline in this issue, Agent Chu and the gang are preparing for the oncoming war of food powers and abilities, all while delivering the bleak, dark humor that has become the series&#39; trademark. we were introduced to a hortamagnatroph this week, and i doubt it&#39;s the last time we&#39;ll see that specific ability from the food-verse. the art is incredible, the colors pop and wherever Chew takes us next i will be ready to have my mind blown.nonadultnonadultas I stated last week, Synder &amp; Capullo's Batman book is seriously one of the best books out right now, and this is absolutely no exception. the only reason this isn&#39;t number 1 is due to a really cluttered opening sequence on a plane involving Bruce Wayne, the Red Hood Gang and the Penguin without any real resolution.
an encounter between Edward Nygma &amp; Bruce Wayne later in the issue results in easily what could be one of the best page layouts of the year if not ever, but there are still a ton of plotlines being thrown around in the Zero Year arc so far with absolutely no direction or focus. while i know Snyder &amp; Capullo are going to pull through for me, but right now, it does feel a little weak. then again we&#39;re only at part 2 in a 12 part series. maybe i should have prepared for a slow burn.nonadultnonadultJamie McKelvie &amp; Kieron Gillen seriously have a masterpiece on their hands with Young Avengers. every issue there is some sort of plot device or page layout or character interaction that is an absolute game changer, and this issue is no exception.
you might be wondering why this issue is lower than Avengers Arena. it mostly has to do with the fact that Young Avengers has started a new storyline with issue 7, so there's a lot of buildup and exposition, but no real payoff besides a trip through the multiverse. now you might be wondering why this book is number 4 instead of number 5 then. it&#39;s plain and simple.
Kid Loki + Instagram. seriously. read the book. be amazed.nonadultnonadultafter his legendary run on Fantastic Four, then move to Avengers &amp; the amazing New Avengers; Jonathan Hickman has been really shining and saving his best stuff for his creator owned projects. while The Manhattan Projects speaks for itself - East of West is a different beast with various themes and plots involving the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, socioeconomic problems, religion, war and family at the forefront that are somewhat always shrouded in mystery while we wait for the big reveal. like a daughter beheading her father on the steps of his kingdom.
the exposition in this issue did get a little melodramatic for my tastes and the battle scenes did seem a little bit cluttered, but ask for a brand new original comic as good as this for only 4 issues deep and you won't be able to find one. Nick Dragotta absolutely slaughters the pages with his art. Hickman may over do it this issue, but it&#39;s just a great, smooth, and enjoyable read.nonadultOn Skins Fire 002 (Or When Effy Pays Her Penance For Being Such A Twat All Those Years But Somehow Still Remains The Same.)https://www.buzzfeed.com/theoisjonesing/on-skins-fire-002-or-when-effy-pays-her-penance-f-bjzk
Effy’s Story Is Over. Her Life Choices Keep Us Guessing Who She Thinks She Is. Or Have We Ever Really Known?

Kaya Scodelario is a very composed sobber. If there's anything I've truly taken away from Skins Fire, it's definitely that Ms. Scodelario can cry like a motherfucker. But frankly, so can I, and this episode definitely brought the wetworks for me. (God damn it, Naomily.)

Effy Stonem is polarizing. There's no other way to describe her. Sometimes you 'get' her. Sometimes you wonder what the fuck is really going on in her head. Either way, you can't take your eyes off the screen. You're waiting for a facial expression or even a lack of expression to stay on the edge of your seat as you wonder whether or not Effy will go back into oblivion. Thankfully for the viewer (and maybe Effy herself): she does.

]]>https://www.buzzfeed.com/theoisjonesing/on-skins-fire-002-or-when-effy-pays-her-penance-f-bjzkWed, 10 Jul 2013 01:27:09 -0400Effy&#39;s Story Is Over. Her Life Choices Keep Us Guessing Who She Thinks She Is. Or Have We Ever Really Known?theoisjonesingadultnonadultKaya Scodelario is a very composed sobber. If there's anything I&#39;ve truly taken away from Skins Fire, it&#39;s definitely that Ms. Scodelario can cry like a motherfucker. But frankly, so can I, and this episode definitely brought the wetworks for me. (God damn it, Naomily.)nonadultnonadultEffy Stonem is polarizing. There's no other way to describe her. Sometimes you &#39;get&#39; her. Sometimes you wonder what the fuck is really going on in her head. Either way, you can&#39;t take your eyes off the screen. You&#39;re waiting for a facial expression or even a lack of expression to stay on the edge of your seat as you wonder whether or not Effy will go back into oblivion. Thankfully for the viewer (and maybe Effy herself): she does.nonadultnonadultBut, on to the most important storyline probably ever in the history of Skins: the end of Naomily. BECAUSE NAOMI IS DYING. WHAT. THE. FUCK. While it was telegraphed from the first episode as soon as Naomi said she had cancer, there's always the hope that Naomily will make it through. It was heartbreaking, gut-wrenching, touching, and such an eloquent exit for the couple (and more importantly Naomi) that instead of getting mad at the Skins writers for killing someone off every season, I instead actually felt for the characters.
Something like cancer is usually handled very melodramatic and over-the-top, and I expected this from Skins. Instead, Naomi&#39;s character, and her reactions were collected, realistic and poignant. This was the end of her life. She was going out the way she wanted to, and Emily&#39;s quote of Effy &#39;stealing time&#39; from her broke me in pieces I never knew I could be.nonadultnonadultThe last 15 or so minutes of the episode play out like the epilogue to Skins Series 4 that we wanted originally from this series. Effy randomly hate fucks Dominic after setting him up to go to prison, Effy then confesses her crimes of insider trading to the woman she ethered earlier in the episode, she does her one redeeming act by getting Emily for Naomi, but then slightly grins after she signs a confession that will implicate her former boss/lover but also send her to prison for a short amount of time.
It's something straight out of a previous series episode, but fits so well after the bulid-up from last week. everything had to fall apart at some point. It&#39;s Skins, people. Because Effy has been so off-the-rails ever since we met her and started showing signs of that again in the back half of this episode, the question remains:nonadultnonadultWhy is Effy smiling? Is is because she thinks prison is the only way she can get her act together by separating herself from the outside world? Is it because she did a good thing by reuniting Naomily? Is it because she's just that fucked up to think her life is still in a good place after ruining everything she&#39;s ever touched for the nth time? We&#39;ll just never know. That&#39;s what makes Effy such a good character.
People hate the uncertainty behind Effy&#39;s decisions and life choices. People love her whimsical nature to just live for living and grabbing life by whatever it offers. People hate her for being crazy. People love her for being crazy. Either way, the final cab sequence was the definitive Effy Stonem portrait: we&#39;ll never really know what&#39;s going on in her head, but we&#39;ll always try to figure it out.nonadultComic Picks Of The Week - July 3rdhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/theoisjonesing/comic-picks-of-the-week-july-3rd-bjzk
Picking the best of the best from pull lists and 4-chan boards around the comic-verse.

This week wasn't the strongest week in terms of releases. This probably had to do with the holiday weekend and what not. However, we did get four new series starting from Marvel, the penultimate issue of a major arch from DC, and the indies staying strong. So all in all, it was a better week than expected.

1. Avengers A.I. 001

This book definitely caught me by surprise. None of the team characters are exactly engaging, none of them really have any kind of hook or true appeal besides Hank Pym, who's a third stringer at best. (Sorry Victor Mancha. Loved you in Runaways, but you're not ready for the big leagues.)

Either way, the introduction of Monica Chang in the 616 universe as the SHIELD foil to Hank Pym's narcissism was pretty much perfect. I haven't expected much from Sam Humphries lately after the Uncanny X-Force relaunch, which has been mediocre at best. Instead, the balance between Monica & Hank, then Vision & Victor's sibling rivalry, followed by Doombot's comedic foil made for an incredibly enjoyable read.

The art from Andre Lima Araujo is also pretty astounding. It reminded me of a cleaner Adrian Alphona, with action sequences neatly spaced out, backgrounds during dialogue sequences smooth, and an amazing reveal on the final page. The series itself might not live up to this issue, but this was a memorable start.

2. Batman Incorporated 012

]]>https://www.buzzfeed.com/theoisjonesing/comic-picks-of-the-week-july-3rd-bjzkThu, 04 Jul 2013 14:18:48 -0400Picking the best of the best from pull lists and 4-chan boards around the comic-verse.theoisjonesingadultThis week wasn't the strongest week in terms of releases. This probably had to do with the holiday weekend and what not. However, we did get four new series starting from Marvel, the penultimate issue of a major arch from DC, and the indies staying strong. So all in all, it was a better week than expected.nonadultnonadultThis book definitely caught me by surprise. None of the team characters are exactly engaging, none of them really have any kind of hook or true appeal besides Hank Pym, who's a third stringer at best. (Sorry Victor Mancha. Loved you in Runaways, but you&#39;re not ready for the big leagues.)
Either way, the introduction of Monica Chang in the 616 universe as the SHIELD foil to Hank Pym&#39;s narcissism was pretty much perfect. I haven&#39;t expected much from Sam Humphries lately after the Uncanny X-Force relaunch, which has been mediocre at best. Instead, the balance between Monica &amp; Hank, then Vision &amp; Victor&#39;s sibling rivalry, followed by Doombot&#39;s comedic foil made for an incredibly enjoyable read.
The art from Andre Lima Araujo is also pretty astounding. It reminded me of a cleaner Adrian Alphona, with action sequences neatly spaced out, backgrounds during dialogue sequences smooth, and an amazing reveal on the final page. The series itself might not live up to this issue, but this was a memorable start.nonadultnonadultGrant Morrison can sometimes get lost in his own mystique, and that's mainly why this book is #2 rather than #1.
While the Batman Vs. The Heretic showdown actually happened across the majority of the book; the whole Man-Bat syrum subplot which was the cliffhanger of last issue was added as a b-side story at the end of the book, which rubbed me the wrong way. The book itself got lost in the dialogue away from the major battle where Morrison decided to introduce ANOTHER new character shrouded in mystery to Nightwing &amp; Red Robin that we&#39;re supposed to wait however many issues for the reveal. Talk about an &#39;ugh&#39; moment instead of &#39;oh, cool&#39; just because it&#39;s Grant Morrison.
Batman Inc. has really been the on-deck Batman book compared to what&#39;s going on with Synder/Capullo&#39;s Bruce Wayne universe, but it just always makes me so frustrated when Chris Burnham gives in such beautiful work on a month to month basis in this book only for it to be muddled by Morrison&#39;s writing. Hopefully, with the conclusion of this Leviathan arch next issue, Batman Inc will finally give the main book a run for it&#39;s money.nonadultnonadultWhile I think Robert Kirkman is super annoying in The Walking Dead, after handing over the book-to-book writing to Andy Diggle; Thief of Thieves is a must-read on my pull list.
This issue kind of marks the beginning of the end in some sense for Redmond and his crew. The infamous Venice job mentioned from the very first issue of the series is finally underway, the issue itself is much more build-up and background to the actual robbery itself than any of the details.
While this is much more of an introductory issue than anything else, the book in the hands of Andy Diggle definitely feels like The Losers Pt. II a little bit during the crew dialogues, which is more than welcome and something I know other writers would have muddled. Shawn Martinbrough is strong as always on the art side, and this issue ups the ante with some subplots and side panels that make you wish you didn't have to wait another month to find out what happens next.nonadultnonadultWith both Daniel Way &amp; Phil Noto taking a break after really redeeming this series with the 'Red Menace&#39; storyline, Steve Dillon&#39;s return on this Punisher-centric issue written by Charles Soule is a nice change of pace for the series.
The plotline revolves around The Punisher hunting down Elektra&#39;s still-alive brother and making sure he&#39;s totally dead. The Punisher as a character/book has always thrived off of this first person narration, and this issue is no exception. It&#39;s a pretty basis storyline but Dillion&#39;s visuals add great detail to faces and the action sequences and give a nice secret that will eventually come to bite the team in the ass in the future. Thunderbolts still has a long ways to go, but this is a nice start for a comeback.nonadultnonadultFive Weapons isn't the easiest book to follow. Jimmie Robinson sometimes gets lost in his own dialogue and takes up maybe 5 more panels than he needs to to get a point across. I feel like that&#39;s allowed when someone is also drawing, inking and lettering an entire book, and especially when this is the conclusion of your own book.
Five Weapons put the high school drama on the side for a grand ending setting up another series to hit in 2014, which is okay in the big picture, but definitely takes some of the impact away from the book ending.
Either way, the characterization is still amazing, the art is absolutely gorgeous, and absolutely everything about the way the book ended was perfect even if it was a little long-winded. Hopefully when it becomes an ongoing series, it can keep up the high standards.nonadultOn Skins Fire Episode One. (Or When Effy Gets Responsibility But We Know That Can't Last Too Long.)https://www.buzzfeed.com/theoisjonesing/on-skins-fire-episode-one-or-when-effy-gets-resp-bjzk
Effy Stonem Makes A Comeback. But Is She Who We Remember?

There's a ridiculous amount of pressure and ridicule when it comes to Skins in my life. it's an important television series to me for reasons that are a little cornball, but I digress.

Effy Stonem is a character that is divisive, pulverizing and overall, plain brilliant. while she may not have the charm or the wit that the previous kids from Series 6 did (MISS YOU MINI), her devious nature and signature DGAF style is what appeals to so many, and now that she's an adult, it's awkward to see.

Effy was the queen bee through her college experience, and now, we see her fully responsible, paying rent, trading stocks, and even making friends that she won't use and abuse at some point. (you know that poor Dominic kid is totally fucked though come next episode.) while she still lashes out the occasional one liner here and there ("you look like a horse when you laugh.") the idea that Effy has got it together is foreign. it feels awkward, until you realize that she kind of doesn't.

She can't sleep. her roommate, Naomi (UGH WE HAVE TO WAIT NEXT WEEK FOR EMILY) is practically helpless. her big twist is actually quite big, but we'll get to that in a minute. Effy travels through clubs at night, docile, feeling the groove and letting bodies rub up against her. it reminds me of her Series 1 moment where she felt like she was 'born backwards.'

]]>https://www.buzzfeed.com/theoisjonesing/on-skins-fire-episode-one-or-when-effy-gets-resp-bjzkTue, 02 Jul 2013 00:55:14 -0400Effy Stonem Makes A Comeback. But Is She Who We Remember?theoisjonesingadultnonadultThere's a ridiculous amount of pressure and ridicule when it comes to Skins in my life. it&#39;s an important television series to me for reasons that are a little cornball, but I digress.
Effy Stonem is a character that is divisive, pulverizing and overall, plain brilliant. while she may not have the charm or the wit that the previous kids from Series 6 did (MISS YOU MINI), her devious nature and signature DGAF style is what appeals to so many, and now that she&#39;s an adult, it&#39;s awkward to see.nonadultnonadultEffy was the queen bee through her college experience, and now, we see her fully responsible, paying rent, trading stocks, and even making friends that she won't use and abuse at some point. (you know that poor Dominic kid is totally fucked though come next episode.) while she still lashes out the occasional one liner here and there ("you look like a horse when you laugh.") the idea that Effy has got it together is foreign. it feels awkward, until you realize that she kind of doesn&#39;t.
She can&#39;t sleep. her roommate, Naomi (UGH WE HAVE TO WAIT NEXT WEEK FOR EMILY) is practically helpless. her big twist is actually quite big, but we&#39;ll get to that in a minute. Effy travels through clubs at night, docile, feeling the groove and letting bodies rub up against her. it reminds me of her Series 1 moment where she felt like she was <a href="">&#39;born backwards.&#39;</a>nonadultnonadultInstead of lashing out, Effy seems to let these moments of insomnia keep her usual paranoia and insanity that we got used to in series 4 at bay. she's together. she&#39;s stable. until, just so slightly, she wants what she never had in previous series: control.
Effy as a stocktrader could be the worst possible career choice. she has no control over the companies that she has to invest in. no control over whether the stocks will go up or down. no control in who is watching, why they&#39;re watching and how they&#39;re watching her every move. she&#39;s at a loss. she freezes. she tenses up. instead of just quitting, instead of walking out like the Effy we&#39;re used to, she breathes. she gets it together and sometimes, gets a lucky break.nonadultnonadultWhile the Naomi-cancer reveal felt a bit forced, in the grand scheme of things, having someone yell at Effy that 'YOU WON AGAIN.&#39; is incredibly self-aware on the writers part to have the characters realize so much about themselves. Effy always gets away with it. she never has gone through true pain, just trauma. she never has experienced true loss, just distance. if they kill Naomi, Effy won&#39;t realize how lucky she truly is, but rather, how she can move on to the next step in her life without breaking a stride.
It sucks that these storylines are split in two because it definitely seems like the formula of setup-then-drama is definitely being used here. i&#39;m always ready for shit to hit the fan in Skins, but at least i only have to wait one week for a storyline to finish instead of a whole season.nonadult